The Beijing Hyundai i30 Won the Annual Theme Award—“Stylish Car”
December 21, 2009, Beijing----Recently, the 2009 “ACE-Auto Customer Expectation” Survey that was jointly conducted by the Society of Automotive Engineers of China and Sinotrust International Information & Consulting (Beijing) Co., Ltd. (hereafter referred to as “Sinotrust”) announced eight major awards including “ACE-Product Design,” “ACE-Quality Performance,” “ACE-Sales and After-sales Services,” “ACE-Auto Manufacturer,” “ACE-Domestic Brands,” “ACE-Completely Built-up,” “ACE-New Cars” and the annual theme award “ACE-Stylish Car.” 18 auto brands from 27 automakers win the rewards.
On the eight market segments of mini sedans, small sedans, compact sedans, midsize sedans, midsize and premium sedans, MPVs, SUVs and light buses, the Riich M1, Rio, New Bora, Roewe 550, Audi A6, Odyssey, Highlander, Iveco were awarded the “SAE-Product Design;” the Spark, Yaris, Tiida SD/Tiida HB, Magotan, Crown, Touran, CR-V and Transit were awarded the “ACE-Quality Performance;” Guangzhou Toyota, Dongfeng Honda and FAW-VW Audi brands were the first three winners of the “ACE-Sales and After-sales Services;” Dongfeng Nissan, Guangzhou Honda and FAW-VW won the “ACE-Auto Manufacturer;” SAIC’s Roewe 750 was awarded the “ACE-Domestic Brands;” the Beetle and Lexus were awarded the “ACE-Completely Built-up;” SGM’s Cruze was awarded the “ACE-New Cars.” The 2009 annual theme award “ACE-Stylish Car” was won by the Beijing Hyundai i30.
As for the 2009 annual theme award “Stylish Car,” “this award is designed on the basis of Chinese consumers’ evaluations of the exterior and interior trim of automobile products, while at the same time we also consider their comments on product performance, fuel consumption and features,” explained Lang Xuehong, Deputy General Manager of Sinotrust Automotive Marketing Research Services and the person in charge of the implementation of the ACE project. In her view, stylish and trendy cars are not only exhibited by the exterior, but also by the high price-performance ratio and the global energy-saving and environmentally friendly philosophy and effort under the trend of “Low-carbon Economy.”
According to the 2009 “ACE” Survey, Sinotrust summarized and analyzed customer evaluations and attitudes toward the fields of sales and after-sales services, product design, product performance, fuel consumption, price, etc. as well as the impact of the financial crisis on the spending by car owners.
According to Sinotrust, 2009 witnesses decreased sales service satisfaction with sedans in various segments from the previous year, especially in the mini sedan segment. After-sales service satisfaction records a significant decrease with customer complains concentrated on “weak sense of service” and “high price of repair parts.” The proportion of midsize and premium sedan owners who complain about the “weak sense of service” is higher than that of owners of sedans in other segments.
Customer satisfaction with the performance of mini, compact, midsize and midsize and premium sedans have experienced decreases to different extents, whereas there is a sign of small improvement in customer satisfaction with the performance of mini sedans. Mini, midsize and midsize and premium sedans obtain increased quality satisfaction, with mini sedans the most improved. In addition, customer satisfaction with the quality of small and compact sedans record declines to different extents. Mini sedan owners are least satisfied with electronic equipment and owners of sedans in other segments have the greatest complaints about the quality of car exterior. In terms of customer satisfaction with exterior and interior trim, mini, small, compact and midsize and premium sedans record decreases, whereas midsize sedans record increases.
Referring to the catchy issue concerning fuel consumption, customer satisfaction with fuel consumption of sedans in various segments all record decreases, with midsize and premium sedans and compact sedans scoring similar to each other. In 2009, regarding fuel consumption satisfaction, domestic cars outperform imported cars; joint venture brands outperform domestic brands; midsize and premium sedans close to compact sedans and outperform sedans in other segments. The survey also covers the impact of fuel consumption on model selection. The survey results show that the impact on domestic cars is larger than the impact on imported cars; the impact on domestic brands is larger than on joint venture brands; and the impact on sedans is larger than on SUVs and MPVs. The lower the sedan segment is, the more sensitive to fuel consumption.
According to the 2009 ACE survey results, regarding customer satisfaction with rationality of features and equipment, 2009 witnesses declined customer satisfaction from 2008; customer satisfaction with imported cars is slightly higher than with domestic cars; customer satisfaction with joint venture brands is higher than with domestic brands; customer satisfaction with sedans is higher than with SUVs and MPVs; and customer satisfaction with midsize and premium sedans is higher than with sedans in other segments.
Price is also a key purchasing consideration. Regarding customer satisfaction with car price, 2009 witnesses increased customer satisfaction from 2008; customer satisfaction with the prices of domestic cars is higher than with the prices of imported cars; customer satisfaction with the prices of joint venture brands is higher than with the prices of domestic brands; and customer satisfaction with the prices of sedans is higher than with the prices of SUVs and MPVs. In various sedan segments, compact sedans obtain the highest customer satisfaction, whereas small sedans obtain the lowest customer satisfaction.
Of all the respondents, more than 50% report that the financial crisis has no impact on their household incomes; 30.0% report that their household incomes drop slightly; and 6.1% report that their household incomes drop significantly. Regarding the impact of the financial crisis on their car use, 78.0% of the respondents report that there is no impact; 19.7% will use their cars less frequently; and only 1.6% will “give up driving” and use other transportation means.
It is understood that the 2009 “ACE” Survey lasted four months from August to the end of November of 2009. The number of cities covered increased to 38 and the models involved covered 121 production models sold on the Chinese automotive market. The samples of telephone interviews were amounted to 5,287.
This survey has four features: one, wide regions covered—this survey involved 38 cities and covered tier one, two and three markets; two, a large number of brands—121 production model brands (Including the brands of 2009 new cars and imported models) sold in the Chinese market were involved; three, objectiveness and authenticity—this survey was guided by senior industry experts using rational sampling technologies, so it is highly representative and is able to give a real picture of the market; four, professionalism and independence—the organizers, the SAE-China and Sinotrust, guaranteed that this is a professional and independent survey.
About Sinotrust Automotive Marketing Solutions
Sinotrust is a leading supplier of marketing solutions to the Chinese automotive market. With offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, we have a team of over 200 skilled professionals devoted to our automotive marketing solutions. Our Automotive Marketing Solutions integrate information, services and technology to provide marketing research services, marketing consulting & business strategy services and database marketing services, helping automotive companies position their products correctly, identify target markets accurately and conduct effective marketing so as to develop sustainable and profitable customer relationship.
About Sinotrust
Sinotrust is a leading supplier of marketing solutions and credit solutions in China. We collect, analyze and manage information about markets, consumers and businesses to provide marketing research, business information, consulting and database marketing services through integration of information, services and technology. Our products and services help you make better marketing and credit decisions and develop profitable customer relationships.
Over 80% of the Fortune 500 companies operating in China are using different products and services of ours. We employ about 1,000 people in our offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, supporting organization clients from automotive, financial services, insurance, retail, telecommunications, IT, manufacturing, consumer products and trade sectors.
At the beginning of 2007, Experian, the global leader in providing information, analytical and marketing services, made a strategic investment in Sinotrust with both capital and know-how. The investment will greatly improve our service capabilities.
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